Eiteljorg Museum awards more than $23,000 to Native American artists

Judges evaluated more than 200 entries featuring the best work
of Native artists from across North America.

INDIANAPOLIS— Upstate New York natives, Ronnie Leigh (Onondaga) and Stonehorse Goeman (Seneca), who specialize in combining traditional Iroquois methods of basket making with sculpture, took the coveted Best of Show honor at the 22nd annual Eiteljorg Indian Market and Festival where more than 130 Native American artists, from across the country, were honored for their artwork. Some of the highest honors went to artists from Arizona, Kansas, Oklahoma, New York, Wisconsin and Vancouver, BC.

Nationally-known judges, Anita Fields (Osage), Yatika Fields (Cherokee/Creek/Osage), Jamie Okuma (Luiseño/Shoshone-Bannock), Linley B. Logan (Seneca, Deer Clan) and Duane Maktima (Laguna Pueblo/Hopi) awarded more than $23,000 in cash and ribbons within 10 divisions, including Best of Show, Best of Division and special awards: the Helen Kersting Award, which is given to an artist whose work exemplifies the highest quality of execution and innovation within a traditional medium, and the Harrison Eiteljorg Purchase Award (awarded to two artists this year), which acquires work for the museum’s permanent collection.

Best of ShowHe Takes His Place by Ronnie Leigh Goeman (Onondaga) and Stonehorse Goeman (Seneca)
Nedrow, NY
Click here to listen to Ronnie Leigh’s reaction shortly after learning she’d won.

CollaborativeDid You Just Say Ribbit? By Ronnie Leigh Goeman (Onondaga) and Stonehorse Goeman (Seneca)
Nedrow, NYThis year, more than 6,100 people enjoyed the two-day festival, which is the largest juried sale and show of Native American art in the Midwest. Entertainment for the market included Grammy award winning singer Joanne Shenandoah (Iroquois), world champion hoop dancer Tony Duncan with Estun-bah (Apache/Hidatsa/Arikara/Mandan) and Native rock duo Scatter Their Own (Oglala Lakota), who had just performed a gig during South by Southwest (SXSW) in Austin, Texas. Eiteljorg Indian Market and Festival has become a mainstay in the Indianapolis arts community, allowing the public to enjoy not only celebrated artwork, but a full cultural experience of authentic Native American foods, performances, art demonstrations and family activities.

To be eligible to participate in the Indian Market and Festival, all entries must be handmade within the last two years by the artist entering the piece. They must also be available for purchase during the Eiteljorg Museum Indian Market and Festival, and must not include any part of a species of protected animal. To ensure the authenticity of the artwork and to protect the artists, all artists must provide documentation confirming that they are members of a state- or federally-recognized tribe.